General Description: Until quite recently, people who wanted to sell products were limited to catalogs, craft fairs and brick-and-mortar stores. No more. The Internet empowers you to sell and market your products to a global audience 24/7 in a myriad of formats.

You can either sell products that you own or you can sell as an affiliate by linking to other sites that handle the actual order fulfillment (and you receive a commission on the sales).

eBay Merchant - Recycle your "treasures" though eBay or work as a "trade assistant" to help other people sell their goods on eBay.

Options for Flexibility:
Selling on the Internet can relieve you of the long-hours associated with being a traditional retailer. In general, the more you automate your systems, the higher the degree of flexibility you'll incorporate into your work.

General Description: What type of job allows you to work from the comfort of home, express your inner creativity and has ultra flexible hours?If you answered, “freelance writer”, you’re thinking along the right track (of course, if you were thinking more along the lines of masseuse, you’d be correct as well!).Indeed, opportunities for writers have never been better, thanks to the increasing variety of media in need of content 24/7.Gone are the days when being a writer meant employment options were limited to books and magazines.Today, writers are hired for such diverse assignments as writing greeting card sentiments, developing content for websites or producing articles for newsletters.Many writers opt to write on a part-time basis, either as a supplement to their full time livelihood or as a means of slowly transitioning into a full-time writing career.

Whether you find yourself itching to write the great American novel or simply want to try your hand at producing a non-profit newsletter, there is a mountain of information available to guide you through the “nuts and bolts” of putting your words into print.

Here are my recommendations for some of the best web resources out there today:

Virtual Assistants (VA’s) work from home assisting other business people with a myriad of tasks including word-processing, answering e-mails, putting together presentations and making travel plans.According to Stacy Brice, one of the founders of this industry and President of AssistU.com (which offers a training program for VA’s),“ The Virtual Assistance profession is growing quickly as administrative professionals seek ways to do work they love, without having to sacrifice self-respect as the corporate world often asks them to do. As VA’s support clients in creating successes, the word is spreading that this is a terrific way for entrepreneurs to get the collaborative, long-term administrative support they need without having to hire someone."

As more people opt to work from home, opportunities within this profession should continue to grow.

Options for Flexibility: Virtual assistants work from their home and communicate with their clients via the phone, US mail, e-mail, or fax.

Some VA's are on a retainer basis while others charge by the hour. Rates vary depending upon expertise and specialty (i.e., VA's to lawyers may earn $100/hour while VA's assisting small business owners may earn around $25-$50/hr).

General Description: Every time a company releases a new technological product, they provide a user-manual along with that product. That manual is written by a technical writer whose job it is to make sure the end-user finds that information easy to understand.

In addition to needing strong writing and editing skills, tech writers should have the ability to understand and translate technical terms and information into a format that is easily understood by their target audience. Technical writers who specialize in specific fields (i.e., medical writers, electrical engineers, etc.) usually need industry expertise in addition to strong writing skills.

Although there are no specific training requirements for technical writers, you can become better qualified for this profession by enrolling in technical writing courses offered online or at your local college.

Options for Flexibility: Most freelance technical writers work from home and set their own hours.

Overview: Talk about a recession-proof business! Whether in good times or bad, people have learned that keeping their resume up-to-date is a smart strategy for long-term career growth.

Resume writing services have evolved from glorified typing businesses to include far more sophisticated offerings. A good resume writer helps people to develop (not just format) a powerful paper resume, create a web-based resume, write cover letters, implement a personal branding package and (if desired) build a web portfolio. In addition, some resume writers (who have received advanced training) can assist clients with various aspects of the job search, including interviewing techniques and salary negotiations.

No formal education is required to be a resume writer. However certification and training is available through some of the industry professional associations (see below).

Resume writers should possess outstanding writing/editing skills, the ability to organize information in a logical format and strong people skills.

Options for Flexibility: Many resume writers work out of their homes. Some writers choose to market to clients locally while others prefer to focus on building their business through the Internet.

Resume writers charge by the hour ($50-$200+/hr. depending upon experience), by the project or by offering an a-la-carte menu of services. Experienced resume writers with skills in brand management, web-portfolios and coaching can earn six-figure incomes.

General Description: Good real estate agents are part detective, part counselor and part salesperson. Agents help people find suitable properties, assist them through home buying negotiations and insure that the sale is completed as quickly as possible. Agents representing the seller help their clients to determine a good selling price and ensure that their homes are in "market-ready" condition.

Real estate agents usually are independent sales workers who affiliate with a real-estate agency. In return, the broker/agency pays the agent a portion of the commission earned from the agent’s sale of the property. Once the property is sold, the agent who sold it and the agent who obtained the listing both receive a portion of the commission. Consequently, agents who sell a property that they themselves have listed can increase their commission.

Besides making sales, agents spend a significant amount of time obtaining listings, attending open houses and servicing clients. Agents are often expected to spend desk-time in the office to meet with "off-the-street" customers.

Licensing Requirements:

Real estate brokers and sales agents must be licensed. Prospective agents must be high school graduates, at least 18 years old, and pass a written test. Most states require candidates for the general sales license to complete between 30 and 90 hours of classroom instruction. Those seeking a broker’s license need between 60 and 90 hours of formal training and a specific amount of experience selling real estate, usually 1 to 3 years.

State licenses typically must be renewed every 1 or 2 years, usually without having to take an examination. However, many states require continuing education for license renewals.

Options for Flexibility: According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Advances in telecommunications and the ability to retrieve data about properties over the Internet allow many real estate brokers and sales agents to work out of their homes instead of real estate offices. Even with this convenience, much of the time of these workers is spent away from their desks—showing properties to customers, analyzing properties for sale, meeting with prospective clients, or researching the state of the market. Agents and brokers often work more than a standard 40-hour week. They usually work evenings and weekends and are always on call to suit the needs of clients. Business usually is slower during the winter season. Although the hours are long and frequently irregular, most agents and brokers have the freedom to determine their own schedule. Consequently, they can arrange their work so that they can have time off when they want it."

Resources for Further Exploration:

National Association of Realtors (every state has an association -- please be sure to check with your state association for information about training and licensing).

General Description: Do you label your spices? Are your holiday lists always updated and computerized? Have you created a great system for juggling all the logistics of your kid's extracurricular activities?

If so, consider turning your organizational talent into a home-based business. Professional organizers are being hired at home and in the office to help:

De-clutter and organize kitchens, basements and closets.

Set up organizing/filing systems.

Create or administer financial management systems.

Develop systems to better manage e-mail and database programs.

Organize moves and help people get settled in a new community.

Basically, organizers help people to de-clutter, get organized and gain greater control over their lives.

Obviously, people who consider this career should be organized, detail-oriented and methodical. In addition, it is helpful to have strong written and oral communication skills and a good knowledge of organizing principles, products and methods.

No special education or certification is currently required.

Options for Flexibility: Organizers can earn $25-$200/hour depending upon experience, specialty and reputation (i.e., authors of organizing books). While organizers typically charge by the hour, many have a four-hour minimum or retainer system in place to insure a more predictable cash flow.

General Description: Americans are spending billions of dollars on their pets each year. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association, consumer spending on pets is expected to reach approximately $36 billion in 2005 (yes, that is billion with a "B"), up from $17 billion just a decade ago. While mega-stores like PetsMart and Petco control a big percentage of this market, there is plenty of room for entrepreneurs to grab a piece of the pet-pie.

What types of pet-services are people offering? They range from the obvious to the outrageous. Consider the following:

Pet sitting/walking services: Pet owners sometimes hire pet-sitters to take care of their four-legged children while they are away. Pet sitters can either visit/walk the pets, board the pets in their own homes, or live in their client's home while they are away. Many pet-sitters provide auxiliary services such as taking in the mail or watering plants.

Doggie Daycare: With the high number of two-career couples, the demand for doggie daycare facilities continues to escalate. In addition to providing basic daycare services, some outfits offer puppy playgroups, doggie birthday parties,pick-up or drop-off services and obedience classes.

General Description: The Personal Chef industry is booming. Personal chefs are hired to prepare meals for people who don't want to cook, but are tired of eating out or taking out fast food. Personal chefs often work out of their own kitchens and deliver the meals to their client's homes.

According to the American Personal Chef Institute & Assn., there are about 9,000 personal chefs in the U.S. serving 72,000 clients.

Who hires personal chefs? Two career couples, busy executives, healthy eaters, and seniors with special dietary needs. Given the growth within these demographics, it's no surprise that the demand for personal chefs is on the rise.

Options for Flexibility: Since much of the cooking can be done in your own kitchen, this business can work well even if you have children at home.Your workload will fluctuate according to the number of clients/meals you handle.

General Description: How would you like to get paid to shop? Better still, how would you like to receive payment for dining out, going to a spa or staying overnight in a hotel?

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of mystery shopping, a mystery shopper is someone who visits an establishment (typically a retail store, bank, restaurant or other such places) for the purpose of observing and measuring customer service, product quality and the environment in general. Shoppers are given details by the mystery shopping company responsible for the shopping program about specific observations they should note during their visits. Following the visit, the shopper completes a report (often using an online form) and sends their findings back to the mystery shopping company.

Mystery shopping is a relatively easy way to make a few extra dollars, but don't plan on it paying for the children's college tuition (or even the family vacation) for quite some time. Most shops pay a nominal amount and it takes a concerted effort to build up a reputation and steady business.

To get a feel for the types of shops you might eligible for, take a look at the shoppers section of www.mysteryshop.org.

Options for Flexibility: Very flexible, especially because you might be able to bring your children along with you on the shop. Some travel is required, particularly for higher-priced assignments.